ACTIVITIES ALSO AIMED AT CELEBRATING YEAR OF THE BAT AND INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF THE FOREST
Singapore, 5 April 2011 – Singapore Zoo’s popular Earth Day Eco-Trail is back again this year with a “bat” theme and more interactive fun.

Families simply need to sign up for an Eco-Trail passport on 16-17 April to participate in special activities to commemorate Earth Day on 22 April, the anniversary of the start of the modern environment movement in the 1970s.

Activities along the Eco-Trail include educational games to illustrate the practice of recycling and reusing waste, and to celebrate the Year of the Bat and International Year of the Forest this year. Participants will be involved in hands-on activities that will provide interesting nuggets of information on these mostly misunderstood creatures of the night.

The National Parks Board will also be supporting the event with a booth about native flora and fauna.

Activities are free. Eco-Trail passports are available at the booth outside
the Singapore Zoo’s Entrance Retail Shop

Note:

Normal admission rates of $20.00 for adults and $13.00 for children
between 3-12 years apply

STATION 1 Bat-tle the Maze
Participants will be asked to tackle a maze while blindfolded and with verbal instructions from their team mates. Along the way, the blindfolded participant will ‘hunt’ for 3 insects. In nature, bats rely on their sonar system to get around. They emit a high, squeaking sound, undetectable by human ears, and this bounces off objects, giving them an indication of how far away the obstacles are.

Location: Proboscis Monkey @ Entrance

STATION 2Forest Treasures
Find a matching pair of cards, to show the relationship between a product and its origin (eg t-shirt and cotton plant). If you do not get a match, you have to flip both cards over and try again. Participants will learn about how many of the products we use are derived, in some way or another, from the rainforest.

Location: Tropical Crops

STATION 3River Clean Up
Each group will be asked to cross a ‘river’ using a raft, while scooping up items like plastic bottles and bags in the water. Through this activity, participants will learn how river systems have become increasingly contaminated through pollution, degradation and overexploitation, as well as what they can do to help alleviate the situation.

Location: Rainforest Kidzworld

STATION 4Fun with Composting
Visitors will be taught how to reduce waste through composting, where the natural process of decomposition creates a product that can be used as a plant fertilizer.

Location: Garden with a View

STATION 5Spot the Bat-talion
By counting the number of bats at the Zoo’s new ‘bat cave’, participants will find out why these winged creatures prefer relaxing in the ‘upside down’ position. This not only allows bats to hide from danger, they can also rest without exerting much energy, due to the unique way their talons are formed.

Singapore, June 5, 2008 – In line with the 2008 World Environment Day slogan “CO2 Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy,” Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari and Singapore Zoo symbolically planted 75 tree saplings and 120 shrubs on June 5 in recognition that deforestation not only affects animals’ habitats but also affects climate change.

The tree planting was carried out by employees of all three parks and took place at the new and upcoming attraction in Singapore Zoo called Rainforest Kidzworld, slated to be opened later this year.

The symbolic planting is only a fraction of the 20,000 more trees, palms, shrubs, ferns, grasses and epiphytes that will eventually be nurtured within the entire Rainforest Kidzworld area. Interestingly, plants with intriguing animal names were chosen to kickstart the greening of this area. These include Spider Lily, Cat’s Whisker, Peacock Flower, Snake Weed, Butterfly Ginger and Tiger Orchid.

“The tree planting is a significant occasion for us at Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari and Singapore Zoo as it is in accordance with our mission to not only conserve endangered animals but to also preserve biodiversity. As we continue to transform the Parks into Rainforest Parks, we hope to also bring the message across to the public on the need to preserve and grow more trees,” said Ms Fanny Lai, Group CEO, Wildlife Reserves Singapore.

More than 60 employees from the three parks let loose their ‘green fingers’ and planted the saplings in an effort to do their part for the environment.

Of the more than 298,000 species of plants in the world, the IUCN 2007 Red List indicates that 70% are threatened. In Asia alone, this numbers 3,113 species of plants. The world is losing its tropical forests at an alarming rate, owing mainly to agricultural expansion. Native plant species are facing extinction, and a net increase in greenhouse gases is contributing to global climate change, increased soil erosion, drought and flooding. This environmental degradation forces farmers to clear even more land to grow food for their families.

There are more than 1.5 million trees and shrubs in Jurong BirdPark, Night Safari and Singapore Zoo. Each year more than 70,000 trees and shrubs are planted, replanted and established to maintain our rainforest.

In addition to the tree planting activity, to instill the habit of recycling amongst visitors, the Zoo also placed a paper recycling bin at the exit for visitors to dispose of their paper products, including unwanted maps and brochures at the end of their visit. The paper will in turn be recycled. Recycling bins for other materials such as plastic and aluminum are also placed at significant areas around the parks.

Jurong BirdPark, Night Safari and Singapore Zoo hopes guests will take away with them the green message of recycling, and subsequently start their own recycling initiative at their homes or workplaces.